--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If anything, the revelations about NSA…" description: "\"“If anything, the revelations about NSA spying on foreign leaders are less significant than the agency’s warrantless mass surveillance of whole populat..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e6/anonymous-1_cell-phone_if-anything-the-revelations-about-nsa-sp_1587444.jpg" --- # If anything, the revelations about NSA spying on foreign… ![“If anything, the revelations about NSA spying on foreign leaders are less significant than the agency’s warrantless mass surveillance of whole populations. Countries have spied on heads of state for centuries, including allies. This is unremarkable, despite the great outcry that ensued when, for…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e6/anonymous-1_cell-phone_if-anything-the-revelations-about-nsa-sp_1587444.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e6/anonymous-1_cell-phone_if-anything-the-revelations-about-nsa-sp_1587444.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e6/anonymous-1_cell-phone_if-anything-the-revelations-about-nsa-sp_1587444.jpg) > ““If anything, the revelations about NSA spying on foreign leaders are less significant than the agency’s warrantless mass surveillance of whole populations. Countries have spied on heads of state for centuries, including allies. This is unremarkable, despite the great outcry that ensued when, for example, the world discovered that the NSA had for many years targeted the personal cell phone of German chancellor Angela Merkel. More remarkable is the fact that in country after country, revelations that the NSA was spying on hundreds of millions of their citizens produced little more than muted objections from their political leadership. True indignation came gushing forward only once those leaders understood that they, and not just their citizens, had been targeted as well.”” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote contrasts historic state espionage with modern mass surveillance, noting that widespread spying on populations is less shocking than targeted surveillance of leaders, which only provokes outrage when leaders realize they are also victims. **In simple terms:** Mass spying is normal; targeting leaders triggers anger when they see they’re also spied on. Key Takeaway Recognize that privacy concerns affect both citizens and leaders. Themes privacy surveillance politics public reaction Mood critical reflective Type analytical political When to use this quote - government policy debates - journalistic investigations - civil liberty advocacy - international diplomacy Key Concepts statecraft mass data collection ethical implications Questions to Reflect On - How does personal privacy differ from state security? - What responsibilities do leaders have when their own privacy is breached? A Different Perspective The quote may overgeneralize public reactions and ignore dissenting voices within societies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angela-merkel/) [Cell phone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cell-phone/) [Countries Spied](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/countries-spied-6009807/) [Discovered Nsa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovered-nsa-6009808/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Nsa Spying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nsa-spying-4793816/) [Political Leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-leader/) [Political leaders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-leaders/) [Political leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-leadership/) [Revelations Nsa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revelations-nsa-4865815/) [Spying Foreign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spying-foreign-6009806/) ## Related quotes > [“More remarkable is the fact that in country after country, revelations that the NSA was spying on hundreds of millions of their citizens produced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/more-remarkable-is-the-fact-that-in-country-after-country-revelations/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“The governmental tortoise cannot keep up with the technological hare. 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We need business leadership which goes beyond shareholder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-somavia/what-we-need-is-political-leadership-which-can-give-guidance-to-the/) [Juan Somavia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-somavia/) > [Among the many factors that make a return to halcyon days of the first decades of the postwar era virtually impossible is the decline…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-gilpin/among-the-many-factors-that-make-a-return-to-halcyon-days-of-the/) [Robert Gilpin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-gilpin/) > [The Only cure for nihilism is for liberal democratic societies - their electorates, their judiciary, and their political leadership- to insist that force is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/the-only-cure-for-nihilism-is-for-liberal-democratic-societies-their/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Cell phone quotes > [“What you’re holding in your hands is a BookShots Flames story. 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